The Bloustein School is proud to join the Constructive Dialogue Scaling Initiative, a national program bringing together leading schools of public service to embed constructive dialogue deeply and durably across their institutions.
At a moment when open dialogue feels increasingly risky, schools of public service have a responsibility to prepare students to engage productively with people who hold different perspectives and worldviews. That is why the Bloustein School, as a member of the Volcker Alliance Deans Summit, is participating in this coordinated, cross-institutional effort to move constructive dialogue from isolated programs to institution-wide culture change.
Launched by the Volcker Alliance in partnership with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy & Administration, the initiative brings together universities across the country to work collectively throughout the 2026-27 academic year. Participants will engage in structured national convenings, a vibrant community of practice, and facilitated peer-to-peer exchange, beginning with a national convening co-hosted by the University of Delaware and the Volcker Alliance this June.
“This current moment is an alarm bell and universities need to step up in the constructive dialogue space,” said Sara Mogulescu, President, The Volcker Alliance. “Now is the time for universities and their schools of public service to think big together about how to implement large-scale culture change grounded in constructive dialogue. Constructive dialogue is a defining competency for leadership in a diverse and democratic society.”
Schools of public service prepare the next generation of government leaders, students who will negotiate budgets, design policy, and lead diverse teams. That work demands the ability to engage productively with people who see the world differently. Yet on campuses nationwide, nearly half of students fear sharing their views, and 40% of educators worry about reputational damage from misunderstandings. This climate of self-censorship undermines the civic purpose of higher education.
The Constructive Dialogue Scaling Initiative builds on proven earlier work: 14 schools of public service previously piloted constructive dialogue curricula with support from the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI), with lessons captured in the report Preparing Public Leaders for Polarized Times. This new phase aims for something more ambitious: a wide-ranging culture change across entire campuses.
“The convening is about bringing schools together to understand the constructive dialogue landscape and set goals for really moving the field forward,” said Joe Trainor, interim dean of the Biden School. “Too often we work in isolation in our campuses, and when we come together, we discover we are doing similar work and can benefit from exchanging ideas and expertise. Now more than ever, we need to have conversations with leaders and faculty from different schools, so our students are collectively prepared to be constructive collaborators when they graduate.”
Learn more about the Constructive Dialogue Scaling Initiative.